Baylor Basketball's Omier named to NABC Preseason Player of the Year Watch List
WACO, Texas — Baylor men’s basketball forward Norchad Omier was one of 20 players named to the National Association of Basketball Coaches Player of the Year Watch List Wednesday.
The Bluefields, Nicaragua, native is the third Baylor player in the last three seasons to be named to the prestigious preseason list and the first since Adam Flagler and Keyonte George got the nod ahead of the 2022-23 season.
Selected to the Preseason All-Big 12 Second Team earlier this month, Omier played two seasons with Miami, helping the Hurricanes to the first Final Four in program history in 2023. In 2024, he averaged a career-best 17.0 points per game and 10.0 rebounds, earning a spot on the All-ACC Second Team. He was also honored with the Skip Prosser Award for men's basketball last season, given to the top scholar-athlete in ACC men's basketball. Prior to that, the 6-foot-7 big man re-wrote the Arkansas State record books, garnering all-conference accolades, highlighted by his 2022 Sunbelt Player of the Year nod. Omier is the first person from Nicaragua to receive a Division I basketball scholarship.
The senior is among five Big 12 players to make the 20-man list, joining Houston's L.J. Cryer, Kansas' Hunter Dickinson, Iowa State's Tamin Lispey and Arizona’s Caleb Love. The other honorees include Rutgers’ Ace Bailey, Indiana’s Oumar Ballo, Auburn’s Johni Broome, Arkansas’ Johnell Davis, UNC’s RJ Davis, Duke’s Cooper Flagg, Gonzaga’s Graham Ike, Marquette’s Kam Jones, Creighton’s Ryan Kalkbrenner, UConn’s Alex Karaban, St. Johns’ Kadary Richmond, Wake Forest’s Hunter Sallis, Alabama’s Mark Sears, Purdue’s Braden Smith and Texas A&M’s Wade Taylor IV.
The Bears will see nine of the 19 honorees throughout the regular season, starting on Monday night when they open the season at Gonzaga. The 2021 NCAA title rematch will tip at 10:30 p.m. CT on ESPN2.
Selected by a nationwide vote of Division I head coaches, the 2025 NABC Division I Player of the Year will be announced the week of the 2025 Men’s Final Four. Former Purdue standout Zach Edey won the award each of the last two seasons, becoming the first repeat winner since Duke’s Jason Williams in 2001 and 2002.
2024-25 Season Awards
VJ Edgecombe
- Preseason Big 12 Freshman of the Year
- Jerry West Award Watch List
- Naismith Trophy Watch List
Norchad Omier
- Preseason All-Big 12 Second Team
- NABC Player of the Year Watch List
- Naismith Trophy Watch List
Jeremy Roach
- Big 12 co-Newcomer of the Year
- Preseason All-Big 12 Second Team
- Bob Cousy Award Watch List
- Naismith Trophy Watch List